Still Air In My Lungs, Still Blood In My Veins
by Zoe-kun
Summary: KibaHina. AU. Kiba promised himself that he would protect Hinata at all costs, but didn't account for the war taking her. Suicide. Major character death.


**A/N: Don't ask me why the hell I'm writing this, the thought just popped into my head and I wondered how Kiba would react if Hinata never knew his true feelings. Oh, and some warnings: huge suicide theme, major character deaths. It's also AU, since he's lost his mother and sister. I'd also recommend listening to the Last Garrison by Enter Shikari whilst reading this, as the fic is heavily based on the lyrics. Also, please don't read this if you find death hard or are struggling with depression or anxiety; this might not be the ideal fic for you. Go read something nice, but if you're okay with this stuff, by all means carry on.**

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><p>For a moment, Kiba couldn't hear anything over the cries of shinobi all around him, the deafening blasts of Naruto's Rasenshuriken periodically impaling itself upon the hordes approaching them from beyond the horizon; the sounds of death and war, which he thought that he had started to become immune to. He thought that maybe, during the course of his time as a ninja, he could take most things that the world could throw at him. He'd been in training since he was twelve, so he was pretty well conditioned to it all.<p>

He also thought that not being able to hear anything over the clamour of battle could come as a blessing, as it should muffle the screams of death being emitted on all sides by both his friends and adversaries. Fighting should have been easier with no sound, no noise to distract him from the task at hand.

It was with this thought in mind that he summoned Akamaru to his side to deliver a final blow to one of the many White Zetsu clones, in the form of the Inuzuka clan's signature Garōga jutsu. Their mutual transformation into wolves began before they fused into one body, and were just starting to gyrate rapidly when his ears proceeded to pick up noise once more. This was much to Kiba's displeasure as he needed to listen closely to his target, picking up on its breathing patterns while he was unable to trace it with his eyes. Finally zoning in on his target and preparing to go in for the death blow, Kiba felt the pressure he and Akamaru were radiating create a vortex surrounding them, which by itself had started to tear a small hole in the clone's thin flesh. Just as their body made contact with the opponent, spraying blood in all directions, Kiba heard the Rasenshuriken cease its relentless spinning. Wondering why Naruto would stop fighting all of a sudden, he then heard Naruto's footsteps through the battlefield and a shout of Hinata's name, unsettling Kiba. _I hope she's okay_.

Sending a silent thought to Akamaru, without wondering whether the clone was dead, the rotating wolf came to a stop on the dusty ground, creating a dust cloud that rendered everyone in the vicinity dark silhouettes making his hackles raise. Not being able to see your enemies was never good. However, in this situation, most shinobi had stopped to see what Naruto was shouting about; even the endless mass of copies had come to a standstill.

The blonde jinchuriki had stopped a few paces behind Kiba, but Kiba didn't need to turn around to tell that something was wrong with his former teammate. Naruto's breathing hitched, then a single tear ran down his cheek at the sight before him. He couldn't quite take it in; even though her chest was still rising and falling and her eyes were still open.

Kiba turned around, thinking that he could mentally prepare himself for anything, come what may. He thought that the sun could explode right in front of his eyes and he could think rationally. But nothing could have prepared him for what he saw then.

Hinata - his friend and teammate during his whole life as a shinobi - was sprawled across the dusty ground, her body motionless save for her eyes which were taking in the scene of chaos before her. Her hair which was usually the hue of the deepest ocean, looked dull and lifeless splayed out behind her head. There was a large puncture wound just above her heart, penetrating her flak jacket, staining it scarlet with her blood. Her light violet eyes reflected the death and destruction seen across the battlefield back at Kiba, who thought that Hinata was the last person who deserved it.

_No, I'm seeing things. My mind's fucking with my eyes. It can't be Hinata, _he thought in desperation, _I promised Kurenai-sensei and myself that I'd protect her from the war. _

Using all the will he could muster to move his legs, Kiba moved to stand in front of Hinata, not comprehending what he saw. _The war shouldn't have done this to her. She was always nothing but kind to everyone. Who was the bastard who did this to her?!_

Looking around furiously, he scanned the vicinity for the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Ten paces away to the left from where Hinata lay, his eyes fell upon a clone with a five-inch long blade in its hand, baring its teeth at him in a wicked sneer.

Everything around him forgotten, Kiba lunged for it, bearing his fangs and his features morphing into those of a canine. He reached out with long-clawed hands, grabbed the creature around its tiny neck and while it was gasping its last breath, he heard his name being wheezed out from Hinata's direction.

Still with his hands around the clone's neck, he turned on his heel to face Hinata. She was now gazing intently up at Kiba with eyes that were starting to lose their shine, her chest rising and falling rapidly in an attempt to gasp for breath. Letting go of the now limp Zetsu clone in his hands, he ran back to Hinata and kneeled down beside her, grasping her face in his hands.

Eyes lighting up slightly at the sight of Kiba, the kunoichi shut her eyes and inhaled deeply, breathing in the comforting scent of her teammate.

"Hinata… please, open your eyes… I'll take you to the medic's tent, they can mend your wound, just please stay with me –"

Opening her eyes slowly, Hinata's face broke into a soft smile, her eyes meeting those of the Inuzuka.

"Kiba… stay with me…" she pleaded, one hand sluggishly moving to the base of Kiba's neck to touch the fine hairs which dusted the base of his hairline.

As her breaths became shallower, Kiba felt tears pool in the corners of his eyes. Rolling down his cheeks, they landed with soft _splash_es on Hinata's still-smiling face, as it started to dawn on Kiba what was happening to her. He was torn between staying with her and getting medical attention, which was possibly the right thing to do but he couldn't deny her his company in this state.

He was not, however, going to just let her slip away. Hooking one hand underneath her knees and the other behind her neck, Kiba headed for the medic's tent on the opposite side of the field. Traipsing through the maze of corpses, the kunoichi stirred in his arms.

"Don't go anywhere, Hina-chan… I'll get you some help… just don't leave me!" He urged, more to himself than to her, repeating it under his breath over and over as a mantra to keep himself sane.

"Kiba… you don't understand… all I want is… is…" she breathed, looking up at the Inuzuka.

"Hinata, wait just a minute, you can tell me when we get you to safety –" He huffed, using all of his energy to get to the shelter.

"No… wait, I've got… got… something to tell… you…" she rattled out, exhaling a breath.

Finally reaching the tent, Kiba waved at Sakura to get her attention, who was currently at the back of the shelter tending a ninja who had lost all of his limbs in battle. Running over, she took Hinata out of Kiba's arms and gently placed her down on a makeshift hospital bed.

Looking round fervently, Kiba found Sakura and made it plain that Hinata needed healing immediately.

"She's dying, Sakura… just heal her! Please!" he pleaded.

As the pink-haired kunoichi kneeled down next to Hinata and crossed her fists over Hinata's heart, she sent a wave of healing energy into the wound, tinting the air around them blue and exuding an eerie light.

"Kiba… I… love…"

Kneeling next to Sakura, Kiba placed his hands on Hinata's shoulders and looked into her eyes, to soothe her while she was getting better.

"Love…"

Kiba shot Sakura a meaningful look to spur her on, and returned his gaze to his incapacitated friend.

"Sssh, Hina-chan, it won't be much longer until you're better. Just focus on recovering," Kiba soothed, finding himself being equally worried by Hinata's breathing getting shallower and shallower and also by the notion of her being in love with someone else, so he focused on letting her conserve her energy and be healed.

As surge after surge of healing chakra spread through Hinata's form, the effort that living exerted on her mind and body clearly deserted her. Kiba noticed this, dusting a feather-light kiss on her forehead, making her eyelashes flutter closed, in a mixture of immense pain and happiness that she had her friend nearby.

"Kiba… I'm sorry… tell Naruto that I always… always…" she breathed with breaths that were getting fewer by the second, but Kiba was also bothered about the unfinished part of that sentence. _Tell Naruto _what? _What was she sorry for? _But eventually he just settled for leaving his selfish emotions out of it and accepting that she was one of the best friends he'd ever had. He should just be grateful for that.

Opening her eyes one last time, her light lavender eyes took in every part of Kiba's face, from his fangs, to his cheek tattoos and his slit-like pupils, which, unbeknownst to him she'd loved for a very long time.

"Kiba… I love you." She wheezed with her dying breath, eyelids slowly fluttering shut. Her breath lingered in the air as a cloud, due to the low temperature of the battlefield, which was the only thing that Kiba could focus on for many minutes after Hinata had spoken.

His gaze slowly moved down to Hinata's motionless body, which even in death looked angelic. _She loved me. She actually loved me_, he thought in bewilderment.

Sakura obviously heard the Hyuga's dying words too, as she reached out and put an arm around Kiba's shoulders in an attempt to comfort him. Little did she know that Kiba was beyond being comforted, for he had seen too much pain and suffering in his lifetime.

Whirling around to face Sakura, he pushed her arm off his shoulder and just released his pent-up anger at the world. First his mother, then his sister, now Hinata. _And now I find out that Hinata actually fucking _loved _me!_ _What kind of sick bastard lives up there who would do that to someone? What kind of sick fuck-up would actually do that? _"Why me? WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!" He yelled.

"Kiba, I'm so sorry. I tried, I really did." Sakura's face softened with sympathy, trying to make Kiba feel better. But that wasn't possible anymore. Not now when he'd lost everyone who was dear to him.

Giving Hinata's body one last glance, Kiba got up. In between his teeth, he forced out the best thanks he could give the pink-haired kunoichi under the circumstances. "I know, Sakura. Thank you. But it just wasn't enough." He also tried to force out an appreciative grimace, and failed miserably. _This is what happens when I form emotional ties with people. It ultimately gets them killed._

Leaving the tent, he took a look up at the sky. The clouds had completely covered the sun, shrouding the whole landscape in a dismal grey light. The fighting had picked up where it left off, and with some bitter rage Kiba saw that Naruto hadn't come to see whether Hinata had lived or died.

"YOU ARROGANT SHIT! SHE DIED TO PROTECT US, AND YOU CARRY ON LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED!" He yelled at the Uzumaki in a fit of rage, but found that it didn't make him feel better in the slightest since it wasn't Naruto's fault personally that she died. _It was mine_, he thought.

_It was my fault that she died. I should have protected her. I was her teammate. That's what teammates should do. Kurenai-sensei always said that we should all look out for each other, and look what I did. Akamaru's better at protecting people than I am, he's out there defending Shino. _

Looking back at his dog, Kiba was glad that Akamaru was out there defending their village when he, himself, couldn't.

Finding a secluded area away from the proximity of humans, Kiba sat down and swiftly drew a kunai from his pocket, pondering his feelings for Hinata. _She was always there for me when everyone else thought I was a loser. Even when no one else did, she always had a smile for me or a kind word. And I couldn't even give her my protection._

Looking at his lifelong friend and companion, Kiba spared Akamaru one last thought. _Be good out there, boy. Keep up the good work and carry on protecting people like I should have. _

He then looked up at the sky, drew one last lungful of air, and plunged the kunai straight through his heart. Black dots dancing before his eyes, Kiba's last thoughts were of how harshly beautiful the sun could be even when it was covered by so much cloud. How it managed to stay beautiful, even in the darkest of times, just like his Hinata.

_Just let me be where you are_.

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><p><strong>AN #2: Please review, telling me any good and bad points about the story. Merry Christmas!**


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